Sea Shepherd founder says he won’t be joining anti-whaling campaign in December

He may be back on land after 15 months on the high seas, trying to evade a warrant issued for him, but Sea Shepherd founder Paul Watson said he might not be able to join his eco-activist compatriots this December as they continue the fight against whaling. Instead, he will be focusing on facing his legal battles in the United States as he defends himself from charges of piracy brought by Japanese whalers.

The controversial 62-year-old Canadian will take the stand in a Seattle courtroom on Wednesday but he doesn’t expect the judge to allow him to join any of the annual anti-whaling activities against the Japanese fleet in the next few months. “I don’t believe that the injunction will be lifted, so I don’t plan on going on the campaign,” he said. Japan filed an injunction against him and the Oregon-based Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS), preventing them from approaching any of the vessels that conduct whaling activities in the Antarctica. But Watson is confident that Sea Shepherd Australia, who are leaving for the seas by December 1, are more than capable of disturbing the Japanese whalers.

When Japan found out that Watson was back on American soil, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said that they are still requesting a warrant of arrest for him through Interpol. He was not stopped by immigration officials when he entered the country last week but he knows it’s always a possibility. “They can try, but the US government is well aware of where I am. If there’s any reason to deal with it (being arrested) we’ll deal with it. I’m not going to make myself unavailable,” he said. He also added he believes that Japan is only pushing through with the legal action in order to drain the finances of the non-profit eco-activist group so they will be forced to stop their activities. But he says it will not work for this campaign since their Australian arm will take charge this campaign.

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AnimuX

The U.S. government officially stands against Japan’s ongoing whaling and has since the 1980s. In fact, in 1988, President Ronald Reagan enacted economic sanctions against Japan, over the very same controversial whaling in the Southern Ocean, according to U.S. domestic law.

The whaling has been certified to be ‘purposely diminishing the effectiveness of international conservation programs’ by multiple U.S. Secretaries of Commerce making it an offense under current U.S. law, punishable by economic sanctions.

So, quite literally, Japan’s government sponsored whale poaching operation has come to the United States and demanded the courts suppress protest against whaling that is officially condemned by the U.S. government and U.S. law.

Amazingly, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, which is frequently overturned by the Supreme Court of the U.S., has attempted to redefine international anti-piracy law, to criminalize eco-activists, in favor of Japan’s whaling which is officially condemned by the USA.

Watson, and Sea Shepherd USA, must deal with the ongoing legal drudgery. In the process, Japan’s state funded whale poachers continue wasting even more tax money on an already internationally prohibited boondoggle entirely for the benefit of corrupt officials in Japan’s government.

AnimuX

Participation in Interpol is entirely voluntary. The USA is not obligated to arrest political dissidents seeking refuge from foreign governments, for example. In fact, the USA has a long history of refusing to arrest and deport defectors from the old Soviet Union.

The Gray Viking

So the Sea Shepard are a political organizations and Paul Watson politician. At what parliament dose this organization have MPs (under there own name)? And I’m not talking about supporting people who have come to Congress from other political parties.
No, they are not a political partie. They are not a police forse. They are
criminals.
If you are wanted by Interpol it is not because you disagree with your home country’s political views but because you have broken the law.
And the U.S. has a long history of hiding wanted criminals.

AnimuX

Interpol doesn’t “want” Paul Watson. Japan, which doesn’t like the fact that Watson interferes with whale poaching, is abusing international treaties to get him — including through a proxy in the form of Costa Rica (because CR gets millions in aid money from Japan) over interference with shark poaching.

In my opinion, this is no different than Iran calling for the extradition of Salman Rushdie and other dissidents who broke Iranian laws in defiance of tyranny.

AnimuX

How exactly is a multi-decade environmental movement called ‘Save the Whales’ — which resulted in creating or influencing law in countries all around the world, including international conservation programs — supported by millions of people around the world through dozens of organizations — considered ‘bunk’?

Second, I seem to remember Japanese fisheries officials lamenting their inability to meet whale poaching quotas in the Southern Ocean for several years now as a result of direct action.

AnimuX

Unfortunately, some of the countries which are members of Interpol are willing to abuse international extradition treaties in order to suppress protesters and dissenters. Regardless, participating nations are not obligated to arbitrarily arrest people for foreign powers or to extradite anyone.

The Gray Viking

Unfortunate for Paul Watson, he is not wanted by the Japanese authorities for being a “protester and dissenter”. He wanted for crimes that are punishable under the laws of Japan. But it looks like the U.S. government is going to piss it pants in this case as well as other, in which U.S. citizens are guilty of a crime but are hidden by the government.

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